Robby Bisschop 
23/06/2023
The Belgian Game Awards 2023 were hosted in a crowded venue at La Sucrerie in Wavre on Friday the 23rd of June. Over 50 homegrown games were submitted, and our seven-headed professional jury has chosen the best games in various categories after getting some personal hands-on with our country’s finest creative projects.
Furthermore, the audience at home got to vote for their favourite title, the best studio and most-promising upcoming studio were chosen and the best local esports events got to compete against each other for the illustrious awards.
Without further ado, let’s get to the list of winners:
Best Narrative
🏆 Winner: Ghost on the Shore by Like Charlie
Ghost on the Shore is an exploration game about emotional ties that transcend even death. Riley is faced with a headstrong ghost, urging her on an adventure across atmospheric shores, uncovering the island’s tragic secret. Irrevocable choices in dialogue shape the bond between the two, ultimately deciding Riley’s fate. The story is what drives this title and that is why we celebrate its narrative achievements.
Runner-ups: Midnight Protocol | Still Heroes | Spookware | Asfalia: Anger
Best Sound
🏆 Winner: Please, Touch the Artwork by Studio Waterzooi
The music in Please, Touch the Artwork perfectly fits the relaxed atmosphere. The soothing soundtrack adds tremendous value to the gameplay experience. You truly feel as though you’ve entered a museum, and are walking through interactive exhibits with no stress, nothing distracting you from the main essence of the game… Each puzzle is accompanied by a tune that lets you sit back, immerse yourself in the virtual museum experience, and simply enjoy some artistic puzzling fun.
Runner-ups: Ghost on the Shore | Spookware | Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood & Teef | Midnight Protocol
Best Graphics
🏆 Winner: Spookware by Beeswax Games
Spookware’s unique main characters scuffle through an interesting twist of cartoony 2D & realistic 3D assets that could remind many players of the Paper Mario series. On the contrary, the eerie mini-games, drawing inspiration from WarioWare, showcase an abundance of diverse visual designs with a style that is uniquely their own.
Runner-ups: Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood & Teef | Midnight Protocol | Still Heroes | You Suck At Parking
XR Game of the Year
🏆 Winner: Hubris by Cyborn
Hubris is a VR action-adventure game set in a unique and colourful Sci-Fi universe, with immersive movement options, including swimming, climbing, and jumping. Players will have to gather resources, craft food and upgrade their weapons to fight off alien wildlife, droids, and humanoid enemies. It pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in VR and turned out to be one of the best-looking VR titles available.
Runner-ups: Breachers | Silhouette | Kitchen Panic! | Painting VR
Best Applied Game
🏆 Winner: Please, Touch The Artwork by Studio Waterzooi
A second trophy for touching the art? Looks like breaking the golden rule of museums pays off! In Please, Touch the Artwork you explore the secret worlds behind 3 iconic Mondrian paintings. It’s not only a relaxing puzzle experience, but it also teaches you about a world-renowned artist and could even inspire players to visit a museum. (where, hopefully, they can resist following the advice in the title)
Runner-ups: Playroom | Dungeon Alchemist | Asfalia: Anger | Mars Drone Simulator
Student Game of the Year
🏆 Winner: 9 Months by Joran De Pessemier – DAE Howest
A short but deeply moving game in which you deal with the theme of grief in an unexpected way. The gameplay is simple, but achieves its goal of telling a touching story through the means of an interactive videogame and leaving a lasting mark on everyone that plays it.
Runner-ups: Bereaved | Dream Bright | Wake Up | Momentum
Most Promising Start-Up Studio
🏆 Winner: Godspear Games
Godspear Games, has a background in serious games and has demonstrated their skills in transforming ideas into enjoyable videogames. Their upcoming title, Textbound Tales, is a captivating game that revives the beloved text-based RPG genre, and accompanies it with an amazing cartoony visual style. The plan is to grow the studio to a team of ~5 people within the next 4 years.
Runner-ups: Banzai Studios | Maracas Studio | Beeswax Games | Briganti
Best Studio
🏆 Winner: Happy Volcano
You Suck at Parking and The Almost Gone are meticulously crafted games that exhibited exceptional quality right from their initial release. These games exemplify the studio’s remarkable skills and illustrate how a seemingly straightforward concept can transform into an unforgettable experience when executed flawlessly. Beyond the games themselves, the studio fosters an open, inclusive, and non-crunch environment that prioritizes the well-being of its team. They serve as an excellent model for effective teamwork, and this ethos is reflected in the games they develop.
Runner-ups: Demute | LuGus Studios | Triangle Factory | Cyborn
Best Belgian Esports Game
🏆 Winner: Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef by Rogueside
Warhammer 40,000 Shootas, Blood & Teef is a highly accessible game that offers multiplayer functionalities, including a versus mode that significantly expands the potential for hosting tournaments within the game.
Runner-ups: You Suck At Parking | Judgeball: Lethal Arena | Breachers | Bounty of One
Best Belgian Esports Event
🏆 Winner: Elite Series League of Legends
The Elite Series competitions are the highest echelon of Benelux esports and the stepping stone for local talent to international stardom across titles like League of Legends, Valorant and Rocket League. The official LoL-league features the best 8 League of Legends teams in the Benelux, each aiming to win their share of the €28,000 prize pool and earn the chance to represent the Benelux in the EMEA Masters.
Runner-ups: RTBF iXPé online sessions | Gameforce | LouvardGame | Walibi Gaming
Audience Award
🏆 Winner: You Suck At Parking by Happy Volcano
You Suck at Parking is the world’s most EXTREME parking game, and the only racing game where your goal is to stop. Drive, drift, and park in this simple & accessible yet challenging game where parking is more important than your driving skills. Collect cars, learn new mechanics, challenge the world, and customize your ride in this ever-evolving parking simulator. The people have spoken!
Runner-ups: Midnight Protocol | Ghost on the Shore | Spookware | Please, Touch the Artwork
.
.
.
And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, who took home the grand prize?
Belgian Game of the Year
🏆 Winner: Spookware by Beeswax Games
Spookware is a wonderful mix of frantic fast-paced minigames and a funny adventure with an amazing visual style. It has heart, feels fresh and leaves a distinct impact on everyone that plays it. It bursts with creativity and makes you hunger for more. And remember to drink your milk, it’s good for your bones!
Runner-ups: Midnight Protocol | Ghost on the Shore | You Suck At Parking | Please, Touch the Artwork
So there you have it! The 12 winners of the Belgian Game Awards 2023 are known, and we’ll celebrate their legacy forever!
Did you miss the show LIVE? Don’t worry, you can watch the video on VRT MAX or RTBF AUVIO!
We had a chance to party after the show, but now there is work to be done: We’ll get started on planning the next edition straight away and collect feedback from everyone involved to make it one for the history books!
